Gas-engine.



PATENTED JUNE 27, 1905.

V. R. BROWNING.

GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22,1901.

Patented June 27, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR R. BROTVNING, OF LAKINVOOI), ()l-llt).

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,347, dated June 2'7, 1905.

Application filed June 22, 1901. Serial No. 65,569.

To 11. whom it 'mmy concern.-

Be it known that I, V Io'ron R. BROWNING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lakewood, in the county of ()uyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Tmprovenient in (,ias-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to explosive-engines, and has particular reference to the means employed for controlling the admission, compression, explosion, and the exhaust of the gases.

in the drawings which form part of this application, Figure 1 is a longitndinalsection through the eenterof an engine which is provided with my invention, showing the piston in elevation. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the ball-andsocket joint for the connecting-rod.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several vie\ 's of the drz'iwings, in which 1 represents the bed of an engine, upon which are mounted the cylinder 2 and the crank-shaft 3. This shaft carries the crankdisk 1, to which the connecti ng-rod 5 is attached by means of the crank-pin 6. The cylinder is provided with water-jackets 7 to prevent overl'ieatii'ig.

In engines of this character, in which the explosions are confined to one end of the cylinder, the cycle from one explosion to the next is divided into four parts. Thus, beginning with an explosion, at which time the piston is at the end of its stroke, the same is driven to the opposite end of the cylinder, during which movement the force of the explosion and that due to the expansion of the gases is imparted to the crank-shaft. As the piston reaches this end of the cylinder the exhaust opens, and the cylinder is swept clear of the gases during the return of the piston. As the latter moves forward again the air and gas are drawn in after it until it has practically reached the end of its stroke, when the admission closes. During the return stroke, which constitutes the fourth part of the cycle, the gases are compressed, and at the beginning of the next stroke the explosion again takes place.

It will thus be seen that one part of the cycle is taken up with the exhaust, one part with the admission, and the remaining two parts with the compression and explosion, and during these latter parts neither port is opened.

Various forms of valve mechanisms more or less complicated and uncertain in operation have heretofore been employed, and, as far as I am aware, they have been operated by gearing which is driven by the main shaft. In my engine, however, the piston itself forms the valve and all the gearing and separate valve mechanisms are omitted, thus greatly simplifying the structure. The piston, which is shown in the drawings at 8, is of unusual length, being substantiallytwice the length of the stroke. The rear half of the same is provided at one place in its periphery with an elongated port-opening 5), which extends between the points indicated at 10 and 11 in Fig. 1. From the point 11 the port is formed entirely within the piston, and at 12 it opens through the rear end of the same into the cylinder. This structure leaves the periphery of the piston unbroken at its rear beyond the points 11 to accommodate the packing-rings 13. Similar packing-rings 14: are also located just in front of the part 10, heretofore referred to. By means hereinafter described the piston is caused to rotate in the cylinder as it moves back and forth, and this rotation brings the port 9 alternately in register with the inlet-port 15 and the exhaust-port 16, which are formed in the cylinder-wall, as shown in Fig. 2. The distance between the points 10 and 11 is substantially equal to the length of the stroke, so that the port 9 is in communication with the port 15 or 16 unless the piston is turned to bring it out of register therewith. Fig. 2 shows the port 9 at about the center of the exhaust-port 16, at which time the piston would be at about the middle of its return or at the middle of the second part of the cycle heretofore described. The piston is caused to rotate by the pin 17, which is mounted in the forward part of the cylinder and has its inner end engaging with a cam-groove which is formed in the front half of the piston. This cam-groove is divided into four ditierent parts corresponding with the four parts of the cycle of the engine, and the various parts are so joined and curved that as the piston reciprocates it will be rotated continuously and with uniform speed, the four parts causing the piston to rotate once for each cycle. Assuming that the engine is running and that the port 9 has just begun to open into the inlet-port 15, the piston turning to the right, as seen in Fig. 2, when the port 15 is passed all ports will be closed during the compression and explosion, and during the last part of the cycle the port 9 will communicate with the exhaust-port 16.

l/Vhile I may employ any other sort of suitableigniting device, I prefer to use the electric spark, and to secure this spark I mount on the cylinder-head 18 a contact-point 19, which is suitably insulated from the head and is pressed inwardly by means of the spring 20. This contact-point is connected with any suitable source of electric power by the wire 21. A second contact-point 22 is mounted upon and is connected with the piston, so that by attaching a second wire 23 to the cylinder-head an electric circuit will be completed when the contact-points are together. Both points are mounted eccentrically or outside the axial line of the cylinder-head and on said head and piston, respectively, and in such positions that the point 22 will wipe over the point 19 once in each rotation of the piston and form a spark just at the proper moment to explode the gases. As the piston rotates and the connecting-rod moves up and down with the rotation of the crank-disk, it is necessary to have a universal joint connecting these parts. "This is shown most clearly in Fig. 3, in which 5 and 8 represent the rod and piston, respectively. The rod is formed with a spherical head 24, which fits into a depression or seat in the end of the piston and is held in place by means of an annular plate 25. This plate is secured to the piston and is provided with an opening opposite the depression in the piston for the connecting-rod, said opening being countersunk on its rear side to fit the spherical head 24. As will be understood, this structure will permit of any of the various movements required between the piston and connecting-rod. In order to prevent the piston from rotating backwardly when it reaches the end of its stroke and the pin 17 is ready to move from one part of the groove 18 to the other, I cut away the material from one side of one of said parts at 26, thereby forming an angle at 27, so that when the piston starts to reciprocate backwardly "the pin will be sure to take the part of the groove that has the cut-away portion 26.

WVhile the packing-rings 13 and 14: will prevent the escape of the gases past the ends of the piston, small quantities of the same might pass from the port 9 and fill the space between the piston and cylinder, thus adding to the clearance of the engine if it were not for the packing-bars 28, which I arrange longitudinally of the piston on. each side of the port between the packing-rings. WVhile one of said bars on each side of the port might suffice, I have shown and prefer to employ a number of the same, as there can then be no possibility of any leakage taking place.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an explosive-engine, a cylinder, an inlet and an exhaust port in said cylinder, a piston, a port in said piston, a cam-groove formed in the surface of said piston, and a stationary pin engaging with said cam-groove, whereby when the piston reciprocates it will be rotated for the purpose specified.

2. In an explosive-engine, a cylinder, an inlet and an exhaust port in said cylinder, a piston, a port in said piston, means for rotating the piston to bring its port alternately into register with the inlet and exhaust ports, packing-rings at the ends of the cylinder, and packing-bars extending longitudinally of the piston on each side of its port, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

VICTOR R. BROWVNING.

Witnesses:

E. J. NEVILLE, C. N. FIsoUs. 

